What Happened During 2022:
Everybody knew that Aaron Judge was a star, but what happened during the 2022 MLB season proved him exponentially more important than many fans originally thought. This season, Judge entered the final year of his contract with the New York Yankees, so it was crucial for him to exceed standards. Judge did not only do that, he very likely guaranteed himself over 55 million dollars next season purely from his performance in this past regular season.
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While researching for this article, my mom stumbled upon a story that makes this season look even more remarkable. To give this year's success some more perspective, it is important to take a quick glance back at the near impossible odds that Judge overcame since childhood. His birth mom was debating an abortion because she did not know how she would be able to raise her child. Luckily for the sports world, she decided against it and her son was adopted by his new parents at birth. Aaron Judge was born on April 26, 1992. Outside of baseball, Judge has been a very upstanding young man who should serve as a role model for many young men and women, regardless of if they watch baseball or not. "Thank you Aaron Judge for giving America a person, a celebrity that we can look up to. And at 6 feet 7 in more ways than one" (Fox Sports Radio 1400 Texarkana).
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Judge finished in the top five in the MLB in every major hitting statistic. That is an absurd accomplishment as an estimate by Statista.com estimates that there were over 900 players in the MLB this season. That means that for every top stat Judge was in the top 0.05% of all Major League Baseball players. Judge's worst stat was his batting average, with which he still finished 5th in the league with an astounding .311. He also finished tied for first in RBIs with 131. Lastly and probably the most impressive, Judge set the single season American League record for most homeruns. During the 2022 season, Judge looked astonishing as he made every moonshot look effortless, and it felt like every time he came up to bat the ball had a chance to leave the park.
Image via Sports Illustrated
When his 62nd homerun of the season left Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, Judge passed Roger Maris for the all time AL record. This is the true standard for how many homeruns a player truly hits as the only National League players with more than 62 in a season have tested positive
for PEDs.
Image via Fox Sports
How It Will Change 2023:
This season could not have come at a better time for Aaron Judge. This was the final season of his contract for the Yankees, and in order to keep him in town they will have to pay a pretty penny. As is to be expected, a record often means a significant increase in salary. Judge can expect a long line of suitors trying to woo him to move to their city.
Image via The Guardian
Sadly, the Yankees were swept in the ALCS by the Houston Astros. This, however, opens up the market for teams to begin to make offers for Judge. Any offer made would most likely make him one of the highest paid players in all of the MLB.
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The ideal place for both Judge and New York is if he can keep his super star abilities in New York. The loss in the ALCS was very disappointing for a 99-win team, but it does not guarantee losing Judge. He would most likely stay with the Yankees because of all the success he had there. The Yankees also play on a notoriously short field. The field has a right field fence at only 314 feet, which is a chip shot for MLB players. This is one contributing factor to Judge setting the record, however, it cannot all be contributed to that.
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My favorite possible landing spot for Judge is still in New York and only 7 miles away from Yankee Stadium. The Mets have a strong case for Judge to join their team. Last year they had two more wins than the Yankees, which gave them a total of 101. The Mets also have a powerful slugger in Pete Alonso. With a hitting combo of Alonso and Judge in the second and third spot the Mets would be hard to beat. Throw in Jacob DeGrom pitching and Edwin Diaz closing and the Mets would have a super team.
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Judge set and AL record for homeruns in a single season and that will drive the asking price for him through the roof. The Yankees could easily keep him around in hopes of winning a pennant in the near future, or they could send him away. If they do decide to let Judge depart, they will have a ton of assets for the next handful of seasons. If the Mets open their wallet and pay up, they might just take the American League pennant next year.
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